UAW-GM Quality 500 - Rookie Post-Race Quotes

Where the Raybestos Rookies finished at Lowe's Motor Speedway:
B. Gaughan, 23rd
J. Sauter, 24th
S. Wimmer, 26th
K. Kahne, 32nd
S. Riggs, 38th
B. Vickers, 40th

***DID YOU KNOW? Raybestos Rookie Kahne led four times for 207 laps, the most laps led ever by a rookie driver in the fall race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He led the most laps for the second time this season (he also led the most laps at Texas).***

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER QUOTES FOR THE UAW-GM QUALITY 500 NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY, OCTOBER 16, 2004.

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET: "I was just trying to save the car and I probably should have just spun it out and went through the grass, if I have to do it over again. But it didn't work out. It finally caught and went the wrong direction. With the SAFER barrier there, it really wasn't that hard of a hit. I haven't seen the replay. It probably looked worse than it was. We were real tight and I was racing the 31. I got inside of him and we were coming off the corner and just got real tight. We got together and the car got sideways and we were just trying to save it after that. I was already tight anyway and when we went into the corner he was way up to the top, kind of like three lanes wide. Coming off I was right on the white line and came right together and got together and the car went sideways and then we were just trying to save it from there." THAT WAS A WICKED HIT. "I want to thank Lowe's Motor Speedway for putting in the SAFER barriers. It probably looked a lot worse than it really was." I hate it for GMAC, dietech, and all the guys. We had a decent car. We were pretty tight there at the beginning. The 31 and I were racing and we were kind of spread apart. He was up at the top and I was at the bottom going through 3 and 4 and coming off the corner we kind of came together and kinda made a little bit of contact and the car went sideways. I probably should have just spun it out if I had to do it all over again and go through the grass. I ended up trying to save it and it ended up catching and the rest is history. I want to thank all the fans for coming out tonight. I hate it for the guys more than anything. They've worked really hard on the car and I guess it's probably the end of our night."

SCOTT RIGGS, No. 10 VALVOLINE CHEVROLET: "That was my fault. I feel like the guys work their hearts out and pour their souls into these cars and that was my fault. I missed a shift on initial start and not only ruined the engine but ruined the whole night and ruined a great shot at a great car and having a great finish. Nobody's fault but my own." YOU DO HAVE THIS CAR IN ONE PIECE. "We didn't tear the racecar up. It looked like we tore a lot of other people's cars up because of me messing up. I hate it for those guys who got caught up in that first wreck because I know they were checking up. I know I was awful slow in the way. I hate it for all the guys on the team and for everybody else who lost their cars. Like I say, it was my fault."

KASEY KAHNE, No. 9 DODGE DEALERS/UAW DODGE: WAS THIS THE BEST CAR YOU'VE HAD ALL YEAR? "I think it's the best car I've had in my life compared to the rest of the field and how well it handled. They had been fixing it and that final pit stop we made an adjustment and the car was even better. It was an incredible job by everybody." YOU ARE HANDLING THIS DISAPPOINTMENT VERY WELL. "I don't know what to do. It's like Dover, you feel like you have such good racecars, so fast, and then something happens and you don't win the race. You can't really blame anybody. You can't throw things. You just shake it off and go on." WHAT HAPPENED? "Our Dodge Dealers car was really fast. It was an awesome racecar. We got a vibration there and then something broke there right before we were going to pit. The front end just fell down and went into the wall. It's the same as last night; I don't know what happened last night either. It just broke and went straight to the wall." THIS IS YOUR FAVORITE RACECAR, BUT DO YOU FEEL JINXED BY IT? "Not really. It's a fast car every time we run it. I don't know. We just haven't been able to finish it off and win a race. It's definitely a good racecar." YOU WERE SO DOMINANT TONIGHT AND THEN THIS HAPPENED. "It's really disappointing. I was just super-focused on the race and not really thinking about winning or anything, just getting that final pit stop and figure out a way to get out of the pits. We had a bad vibration before that. The car was still really fast. I don't know what happened. It's too bad that it did happen. As good as we run on and off we definitely deserve a win sometime. Hopefully it will be before the year is out; if not, maybe next year. We just had an awesome racecar. It was fun as could be to drive it all night until that happened."

BRENDAN GAUGHAN IN THE No. 77 JASPER ENGINES AND TRANSMISSIONS DODGE/KODAK DODGE WAS THE RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE RACE AT CHARLOTTE. Notes: Gaughan took top Raybestos Rookie honors for the fourth consecutive race and for the sixth time in 2004. "We said from the start of the year that being the Raybestos Rookie of the race each week was one of our goals. The Kodak team has had some pretty bad luck this year but to be in the lead like Kasey Kahne, as dominate as he was, even I feel bad for him tonight. Our run tonight with the Jasper scheme was not what we wanted by far. It doesn't look like we did anything but rip a bumper off it. We kept all the sides clean and kept the nose on it and chugged around to the finish. It's not what we wanted but the top Raybestos Rookie is a goal each week. It was a good night for us in the Raybestos Rookie points." WHAT HAPPENED WITH JIMMY SPENCER WHEN YOU SPUN? "We had a tire going down. We had a right front going flat and I wasn't going to be able to make it in the pits and I was trying to get down out of the way and I thought I was on the bottom and then, blam! It probably was my fault. Maybe I didn't get far enough out of the way. Sorry for Jimmy, I think he had a good run going until that point. If it was my fault, I apologize. I tried to get down but we had a right front going flat."

JOHNNY SAUTER, No. 09 MICCOSUKEE RESORTS DODGE: "It was pretty uneventful. The car was not very good. We got it OK at one point and thought we would make some more adjustments towards that direction and man, we just missed it. Our first run out was not good but we finished and the car is in one piece. We've got a lot of work to do. It was pretty uneventful for me. I was steering right all night. We were just way too loose." HOW MUCH DIFFERENT ARE THE CUP CARS VERSUS THE BUSCH CARS ON THESE INTERMEDIATE TRACKS? "You are obviously carrying more speed into the corner. They pretty much drive the same. You've still got to be able to drive in hard, turn to the bottom, and gas it up. If you can't do that, you're a dead duck."

SCOTT WIMMER, No. 22 CATERPILLAR DODGE: "We struggled all night with electrical problem; the motor wouldn't run. Fortunately enough, we finished a race. It could have been a lot worse. There were a lot of wrecks and things like that out there. We'll take it and take the points and move on to Martinsville. Hopefully we can have a little better luck there." WAS THE RACE WILD? "It was a weird race tonight. I was really surprised. It didn't matter where you were in the field. If you were in the front or the back it seemed like someone was running into you. Nobody was really giving anybody any lanes. Everybody wants to win races at the end of the year and it makes for some wild races and wild finishes." DO YOU THINK WE'LL SEE THIS INTENSE RACING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON? "I hope so. I hope we're a part of it because we certainly need to do that and win a race. Maybe next week we can be a part of that and get up front, race hard, and be there all day at Martinsville."